The Alpine Club, the world’s first mountaineering club, was founded in 1857. For over 150 years, members have been at the leading edge of worldwide mountaineering development and exploration.

With membership, experienced and aspiring alpinists benefit from a varied meets programme, regional lectures with notable guest speakers, reduced rates at many alpine huts, opportunity to apply for grants to support expeditions, significant discounts at many UK retailers, extensive networking contacts, access to the AC Library and maps - and more!

Club News

Club News

Artists of the Alpine Club

William Mitchell, John Colton, Ben Tibbetts

We are celebrating mountaineering artists past and present:

First, William Mitchell, an art dealer, climber, and writer, who has written the first book in English about Gabriel Loppé. As a prolific artist and mountaineer, Gabriel Loppé (1825-1913) was the first painter to have depicted what the French call ‘la haute montagne’.

We are joined by John Colton, who discovered the wild places of Yorkshire and a love of drawing from an early age. By the time he was twenty this had developed into serious mountaineering and painting combined. John has previously exhibited at the Alpine Club in 2013 and was described as the first exhibitor who actually draws whilst engaged on serious Alpine climbs. These include the Walker Spur on the Grandes Jorasses and the Innominata route on Monte Bianco.

Finally, we have Ben Tibbetts who last year published ‘Alpenglow’, the result of an obsessive project involving 10,000 hours of climbing, to reach all the highest summits of the Alps. It is a book full of meticulous historical research, inspiring photography, intricate and beautiful drawings, and writing that captures the essence of each route. We’re not clear yet about what Ben will show, but we can expect some of his drawings of the mountains and routes shown in Alpenglow, and the stories of the climbs that inspired them.

A Kangchenjunga Special

We will be marking the 65th anniversary of the first ascent of Kangchenjunga which, at 8586m, is the third highest mountain in the world.

Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner is the first woman to climb all the 8000m peaks without the use of supplementary oxygen.She talks about her ascent of Kangchenjunga in 2006 via the South-West Ridge and is joined by Stevan Jackson, who led the second British ascent of the SW Face in 2000, 45 years after Joe Brown and George Band.Mick Conefrey also joins us to talk about his new book on the subject, ‘The Last Great Mountain’.Finally, Leo Dickinson will show some unseen footage of Joe Brown describing the final stages of the first ascent.

Aiguille des Pélerins

In February 1975 Rab Carrington and Alan Rouse brought hard Scottish style climbing to the Alps with their winter ascent of the Terray Rebuffat route on the Aiguille des Pélerins. 17 years later Andy Parkin and Mark Twight climbed the nearby ‘Beyond Good and Evil’ and in February this year Jon Bracey, Matt Helliker and Pete Whittaker added ‘Beyond Reason’. In their own way each of these ascents have set new standards for the sport.

Why has this corner of the Chamonix Aiguilles been a test bed for the best climbers of their generation? Find out on 26 May.

The Alpine Club, the world's first mountaineering club, has members from around the world. Since it was founded in 1857 Alpine Club members have been at the leading edge of worldwide mountaineering development and exploration